icap

"The health problems of the Irish have been traditionally ignored in policy and service provision in Britain"
(Bracken et al, 1998;
Leavey et al, 1997)

The health of Irish people remains officially invisible because most research reports differences between "white" and other ethnic groups. (Pearson M, Madden R, Greenslade L, Generations of an invisible minority, University of Liverpool, 1991).

However, the growth of research throughout the 1990's shows that the disproportionately high incidence of mental health problems within the Irish population in England is now well established.

The Irish have the highest incidence of Common Mental Disorders. Irish men have the highest rates of Anxiety Disorders (Sproston K, Nazroo J, DoH, 2002).
Irish people in Britain had the highest rate of mental hospitalisation and were more than twice as likely as the native born to be hospitalised for some form of psychological distress. Irish people are over represented in most diagnostic categories. Irish rates of admissions for schizophrenia were second only to those of the African Caribbean population (Bracken P. J. et al, British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 172, 1998).
Irish men and women more than any other ethnic group drink in excess of 1995 weekly recommended guidelines (Health Survey for England, DoH, 1999).
There is higher mortality of second-generation Irish men in every social class compared with all men and particularly high mortality in the manual social classes (Harding S, Balarajan R, patterns of mortality in second generation Irish living in England and Wales, BMJ, June 1996).
42% of the users of Irish voluntary sector services report a health problem. 35% report a problem that limits their activities. 23% of health problems relate to mental health (Kowarzik U, Irish community services: meeting continued need, FIS/AGIY, 2001).

Evidence of Need